View source for C-SPAN Bus program

[[File:C-SPAN Digital Bus.jpg|thumb|C-SPAN digital bus, 2010]]
The '''C-SPAN Bus Program''' is an umbrella term for the activity surrounding several vehicles that have been used by [[C-SPAN]] since 1993, starting with the '''C-SPAN School Bus'''. The inspiration for the bus program was at least partly taken from [[Douglas Brinkley]]'s book ''The Majic Bus: An American Odyssey'', which described Prof. Brinkley's experiences taking groups of college students on tours of historic sites around the U.S.<ref>[http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/assessment/1999/07/douglas_brinkley.html Douglas Brinkley - Slate Magazine]</ref> The first C-SPAN school bus began its service in 1993, and a second bus was introduced in 1996.<ref>[http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1999/02/22/met_254127.shtml Home front: Area man drives C-SPAN bus | chronicle.augusta.com]</ref> In 2010, the '''C-SPAN Digital Bus''' and the first '''Local Content Vehicle''' debuted, and the original two buses were retired.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.c-span.org/pdf/BusLCV_060810.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2013-09-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610000414/http://www.c-span.org/pdf/BusLCV_060810.pdf |archivedate=2013-06-10 }}</ref>

==C-SPAN School Buses==
The original two buses served as mobile television studios, with technical facilities and an interview area that could be used for production of live or taped content. Between them, the two original C-SPAN School Buses visited all fifty U.S. states, and over 2,000 communities.<ref>http://www.thesandspur.org/news/c-span-bus-rolls-on-through-1.2389117#.T5X8N9UdySo{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> They were used for many of the remote programs produced by C-SPAN, including their programs on the [[The Lincoln–Douglas Debates (1994 reenactments)|Lincoln–Douglas Debates]], the [[The Alexis de Tocqueville Tour: Exploring Democracy in America|American tour of Alexis de Tocqueville]], the ''[[American Presidents: Life Portraits|American Presidents]]'' series, the ''[[American Writers: A Journey Through History|American Writers]]'' series, and many more.

In January 1995, C-SPAN was awarded the Golden [[CableACE Award]] for programming and educational efforts related to the C-SPAN School Bus.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-01-16-ca-20633-story.html HBO Takes Bulk of Prizes at the CableACE Awards - Los Angeles Times]</ref>

The C-SPAN bus has hosted over 1.5 million visitors, which includes 40,000 teachers and 800,000 students.

==C-SPAN Digital Bus==
[[File:C-SPAN Bus 2012.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The C-SPAN Digital Bus, which launched in June 2010]]
[[File:C-SPAN Bus Philadelphia July 2016.jpg|thumb|right|250px|C-SPAN Digital Bus covering the 2016 election]]
The C-SPAN digital bus was introduced in June 2010.<ref>[http://www.myeugene.org/2011/03/30/c-span-digital-bus-tour-stops-in-eugene-on-march-31/ MyEugene » Maintenance Mode]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> It is a 45-foot [[Prevost coach]], and was custom-built by Creative Mobile Interiors of [[Grove City, Ohio]].<ref>[http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/sections/portfolio/mobileMarketing/C-Span%20Digital/CSpan_Digital_index.asp Creative Mobile Interiors, Inc. creates dynamic mobile marketing vehicles]</ref>

==Local Content Vehicles==
In 2010, in addition to the Digital Bus, C-SPAN introduced a '''Local Content Vehicle''' ("'''LCV'''"), a [[Ford Transit Connect]] specially outfitted for use in producing content from locations around the country. This program was later expanded to include a total of three vehicles.<ref>[http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/sections/portfolio/mobileOffice/CSPAN-LCV.asp Decked out Sprinter is the ultimate tailgating machine]</ref> Each of the three vehicles is staffed by one person, and is equipped with a video camera and a laptop editor.

In 2011, C-SPAN introduced the '''Local Content Vehicles Cities Tour''', in which all three of the LCVs would spend a week in a particular city, gathering content to be aired shortly thereafter over the course of a weekend. Typically, one vehicle would focus on history and historic sites in a particular city; another would focus on aspects of that city related to books; and the third would focus on community relations, in co-operation with the local cable provider. Between May and December 2011, the LCVs visited eight U.S. cities following this pattern. The practice was renewed in 2012, with visits to six other cities scheduled between January and June. Typically, the footage and interviews from a particular city visit would air three to four weeks after the visit took place.

In 2013, C-SPAN expanded their LCV fleet from three vehicles to six, allowing the network to double the number of cities it visits each month.<ref name="BetsyRothstein">{{cite web |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/c-span-second-fleet-local-content-vehicles_b98692 |title=C-SPAN Rolls Out Second Fleet of Tricked Out Vehicles |last1=Rothtstein |first1=Betsy |date= |work=FishbowlDC |publisher=MediaBistro |accessdate=22 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140329080251/http://www.mediabistro.com/fishbowldc/c-span-second-fleet-local-content-vehicles_b98692 |archive-date=29 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="C-SPAN2013">{{cite press release|title=C-SPAN Launches Second Fleet Of Vehicles For Bringing Local American Literary Stories, History To National Audience |url=http://www.c-span.org/uploadedFiles/Content/About/Press/Press_Releases/C_SPAN_LCV_Second_Fleet_Launch_WEB_VERSION.pdf |publisher=C-SPAN |date=12 March 2013 |accessdate=22 March 2013 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Cities visited on LCV tours===
{|border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=5 
!City!!Programming originally aired!!Examples of content
|-
|[[Tampa, Florida]]||May 28–29, 2011<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Tampa/ May 28-29, 2011]</ref>|| Discussion with Scott Deitche about the [[Trafficante crime family]];<br>Discussion of the [[Rough Riders]] in Tampa
|-
|[[Savannah, Georgia]]||June 25–26, 2011<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Savannah/ June 25-26, 2011]</ref>||Tour of [[Flannery O'Connor's]] childhood home;<br>Discussion of artifacts at the [[Georgia Historical Society]]
|-
|[[Charleston, South Carolina]]||July 30–31, 2011<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Charleston/ July 30-31, 2011]</ref>||Tour of the [[Charleston Library Society]];<br>Interview with former Senator [[Fritz Hollings]]
|-
|[[Frankfort, Kentucky]]||August 27–28, 2011<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Frankfort/ August 27-28, 2011]</ref>||Interview with Mike Veach, author of ''The Social History of Bourbon'';<br>Discussion of the assassination of [[William Goebel]]
|-
|[[Charlotte, North Carolina]]||September 24–25, 2011<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Charlotte/ September 24-25, 2011]</ref>||Interview with Kevin Morgan Watson of [[Press53 Publishing]]<br>Discussion of [[Gen. Cornwallis]] and the [[Battle of Charlotte]]
|-
|[[Knoxville, Tennessee]]||October 29–30, 2011<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Knoxville/ October 29-30, 2011]</ref>||Discussion of the [[1982 World's Fair]];<br>Discussion of the [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]]
|-
|[[Birmingham, Alabama]]||November 26–27, 2011<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Birmingham/ November 26-27, 2011]</ref>||Interview with [[Rick Bragg]];<br>Discussion of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s [[Letter from Birmingham Jail]]
|-
|[[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]||December 24–25, 2011<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/BatonRouge/ December 24-25, 2011]</ref>||Tour of the Slave Narratives Collection of [[Southern University]]'s John B. Cade Library;<br>Tour of the [[Old Louisiana State Capitol]]
|-
|[[Beaumont, Texas]]||February 4–5, 2012<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Beaumont/ February 4-5, 2012]</ref>||Tour of The Book Bazaar;<br>Tour of the [[Texas Energy Museum]]
|-
|[[Shreveport, Louisiana]]||March 3–4, 201<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Shreveport/ March 3-4, 2012]</ref>||Tour of the James Smith Noel Collection at the Noel Memorial Library, [[Louisiana State University in Shreveport]];<br>Discussion of the history of the [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52 bomber]]
|-
|[[Little Rock, Arkansas]]||March 31 - April 1, 2012<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/LittleRock/ March 31 - April 1, 2012]</ref>||Interview with David Welky, author of ''The Thousand-Year Flood'' (about the [[Ohio River flood of 1937]]);<br>Discussion of the Presidential Gift Collection of the [[William J. Clinton Presidential Library]]
|-
|[[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma]]||May 5–6, 2012<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/OklahomaCity/ May 5-6, 2012]</ref>||Tour of the [[University of Oklahoma]]'s [[Bizzell Memorial Library]]'s collection of works on the [[history of science]]<br>Tour of the [[Oklahoma State Capitol]]
|-
|[[Wichita, Kansas]]||June 2–3, 2012<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/Wichita/ June 2-3, 2012]</ref>||Tour of the Special Collections at the [[Wichita State University]] Library<br>Tour of the [[Kansas Aviation Museum]]
|-
|[[Jefferson City, Missouri]]<br>[[Columbia, Missouri]]||June 30 - July 1, 2012<ref>[http://www.c-span.org/LocalContent/JeffersonCity/ June 30 - July 1, 2012]</ref>||Tour of the Special Collections area of the [[University of Missouri]]'s [[Ellis Library]]<br>Tour of the [[Missouri State Museum's]] [[1904 World's Fair]] collection
|}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==

{{Commonscat| C-SPAN Bus program}}

{{Portal|Buses}}
*[http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/BusD Departure of the first C-SPAN Bus from Washington, November 8, 1993]
*[http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/58580-1 C-SPAN School Bus Special, July 11, 1994] - 2 hour 30 minute retrospective on the first seven months of the first C-SPAN School Bus.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120921000936/http://www.booknotes.org/Watch/39818-1/Douglas+Brinkley.aspx ''Booknotes'' interview with Douglas Brinkley on ''The Majic Bus: An American Odyssey'', April 18, 1993.]
*[http://legacy.c-span.org/Bus/FAQ.aspx C-SPAN Bus FAQs]
*[http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/sections/portfolio/mobileMarketing/C-Span%20Digital/CSpan_Digital_index.asp Creative Mobile Interiors page on the Digital Bus]
*[http://www.creativemobileinteriors.com/sections/portfolio/mobileOffice/CSPAN-LCV.asp Creative Mobile Interiors page on the LCVs]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130129090138/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/ MSNBC tour of Digital Bus with Chuck Todd, Savannah Guthrie, and Brian Lamb]

{{C-SPAN navbox}}

[[Category:C-SPAN|Bus program]]
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